My eldest daughter has been begging to go camping (and you know how kids can beg). We do not own a tent or any camping equipment and camping has never been on our list of holiday ‘to do’s’ despite its ever increasing popularity. ‘Everybody else goes camping,’ says my...
I recently signed up for National Trust membership after months of deliberation. I figured that the children are now old enough to start appreciating the places that are run by the NT. We are lucky enough to have many beautiful places to visit right on our doorstep,...
I would like your help today. Do you have any lefties in your family? I am not talking about people with particular political views, but one of the supposed 10% of the population who do things the wrong way round. That is what a right-handed person might say, anyway....
A Taekwondo grading means more than just demonstrating a series of moves in front of an examiner. For children, they must prepare by showing respect to their family, behaving politely, making their beds, cleaning their rooms etc. I'm not kidding. Out comes my son from...
Ladyland Farm in Horley, Surrey, calls itself 'the living classroom'. Open during term time for school visits and birthdays only, it aims to create a hands-on farm experience geared specifically to the ages of the visitors. For the reception children on their school...
How do you teach your little ones the value of true friendship? Forming relationships with peers is an integral part of development, but not always an easy task. Friends will come and go and there will be heart break along the way. It's not easy to see your children...
The crazy boy has been up to his funny antics again. We were in Rome last week and he was fascinated by the Coliseum. The funny thing about this place is that around the outside you find numerous 'Roman Soldiers' eager to have their photos taken with the tourists and...
My middle daughter took her first ballet and tap exams last week. The children had been practising their routines for a few weeks and were well prepared and the build up had been kept as low key as possible. But this didn't stop my daughter from worrying about them. A...
My five year old son is the joker of our household. He makes us laugh on a daily basis with his crazy, typical cheeky boy antics. His latest thing is to create characters using his clothes. Oh my goodness did I laugh when I saw the strategic placement of the toy cat....
The weather is being typically British at the moment, having lured us in to a false sense of security by letting us think that summer may just have arrived, only to blow our hopes a week later. It's our own fault for daring to put away our winter clothes and start to...
We were out in the garden enjoying the sunshine the other day when my sister asked, could I still do a cartwheel. I laughed as I recalled the last time I had tried to do one. It was a few years ago and my elder daughter, who was around five at the time, had asked if I...
I'm currently reading Lego Star Wars, The Visual Dictionary, with my five year old son. It's his bedtime reading choice, after having read to me first. I am learning about things like, in which sets you would find Annakin's Podracer, how different mini figures have...
This is me, as seen through my seven year old daughter's eyes: My Mum She's a: Vacuum cleaner Potato peeler A dish cleaner A bedtime reader A hard worker cleaner A hugler A cuddler A school taker A cool maker My Super Mum Apparently I do a lot of cleaning. Don't know...
'Kids, get your shoes and coats on, it's time to go to school now.' Nothing... 'Come on you lot, time to get ready for school.' Still nothing... 'GET YOUR STUFF ON NOW OR WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE!' 'Alright, alright, mummy, why do you always have to shout.' This is a...
I grew up in the seventies. We lived on a cul-de-sac, which was inhabited mainly by other families. It was sheltered and it was safe. Life was very different to today. We went to school and we came straight home afterwards. Our parents didn’t take us to after...
'You're so organised' people often say to me. 'Am I?' I tend to reply. Wondering just how they have come to this conclusion. For the most part I am the way I am because otherwise I would never survive running around after three children and trying to work in between...
‘B-b-b-but m-m-m-mummy…’ I often hear my daughter say. This has been concerning me for some time now. Is it a problem, or is it something she is going to grow out of? We have a noisy household and with two other siblings around, it’s often difficult to have your say....
I recently wrote about my son, who has suffered from food intolerances since an early age. He is almost five now and I finally have a good idea of what has been causing him problems all this time. Firstly, I would like to clarify the differences between food allergies...
Today is the start of the new school year. Unfortunately my younger daughter had to go back to school with her arm still in a cast - she goes back to hospital on Friday for a second op to remove the wires (as explained in a previous post 'The School Holidays are not...
I was thinking the other day about a moment that has defined me as a parent and although there are many, one in particular stood out. My middle daughter was a difficult baby. People told me that the second child would be easy, so I couldn't understand how come mine...